Learn About the Acoustic Guitar
Songwriting Learn Acoustic Guitar
August 24, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Without question, the most important but challenging aspect of songwriting is coming up with a great vocal melody. Think of any of your favorite songs and I’d be willing to bet it’s the vocal melody that first comes to mind. There are countless articles, and books that have been written on the finer details of […]
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Acoustic Guitar Accessories Acoustic Guitar Gear
August 16, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
In the following article, we’re going to discuss the characteristics of what makes a bright-sounding guitar string, taking into account the materials used along with string gauge and the brands that offer the brightest-sounding strings. But if you looking for a quick reference: New, uncoated, 80/20 bronze, light gauge strings (12’s or lighter) sound brightest […]
Guitar Keys Learn Acoustic Guitar
August 15, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
It’s easy to become lost within the unfathomable amount of options music theory offers us. If you don’t have some kind of direction to go in you may end up just kind of stabbing around in the dark hoping to piece together something cohesive. This is where some general knowledge of keys, commonly used chords […]
August 5, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Today we’re going to be taking a closer look at DI (direct injection) boxes and the benefits they offer. But, first, if you’re not sure what a DI box does: A DI box converts an unbalanced high impedance (Hi-Z) instrument-level signal into a balanced low impedance (Low-Z) line-level signal. This allows you to plug a […]
August 4, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
The world of music has been blessed with a wide array of incredibly diverse, and talented songwriters spanning multiple eras of music. But who stands above all as the most successful? In the following article, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the greatest songwriters of the past and present, and give […]
Alternate Tunings Learn Acoustic Guitar
August 2, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
In the following guide, we’re going to take a closer look at the less common, open F tuning. However, if you’re looking for a quick overview read below. Open F Tuning requires your guitar to be tuned to an F Major chord consisting of the notes F, A, and C. Tune the 6 strings of […]
June 27, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
The notes in the key of A Major are:A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G# When these notes are assembled in order of pitch (ascending or descending) the notes form the A major Scale. A major consists of three sharps: F#, C#, and G#, as demonstrated by the key signature preceding the notes in the […]
Learn Acoustic Guitar
June 20, 2022 / March 24, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
You’ve probably heard it said a thousand times, that music is a combination of harmony (chords), melody (notes), and rhythm. If you play guitar, even if you don’t read music, it’s simple enough to learn the chords and/or melody of a song using chord charts, or guitar tablature. But, rhythm notation is a little trickier. […]
The Caged System Learn Acoustic Guitar
June 6, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
The CAGED system is a great way to break up the fretboard into smaller, more manageable sections. But in our other articles on the CAGED system, we’ve only discussed major chord shapes. Does the CAGED system also work for minor chords? Absolutely. We can use the caged system for playing 7th, suspended, extended, and minor […]
June 2, 2022 / March 24, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
When learning a new song from a chord book or guitar tab, we often lack the detailed rhythmic information that standard music notation provides. However, some tabs compensate by including strumming notation. If you’ve always just skipped over this stuff, investing time in learning it is highly beneficial. Understanding the various symbols in strumming patterns […]
Grunge Learn Acoustic Guitar
May 26, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Today we’re going to revisit one of my favorite periods of music, the grunge era. In particular, we’ll be looking at the significance of the acoustic guitar and its contribution to grunge during the 90s. We’ll also take a look at some landmark albums, and MTV unplugged performances from grunge icons such as Pearl Jam, […]
Acoustic Guitar Anatomy
May 24, 2022 / March 24, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Musical pitches increase in frequency exponentially. All octaves are exactly half the distance on the fretboard of the next lowest octave. Naturally, the higher up the neck we go, the shorter the fret spacing. For a more detailed answer continue reading. Understanding The Distance Between Frets On A Guitar For the curious among you, you […]
Fingerpicking Learn Acoustic Guitar
May 23, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
One of the more challenging aspects of fingerpicking is playing without unintentionally hitting the wrong strings. When first getting started with fingerpicking this can feel like an insurmountable problem. With this in mind, in the following short guide, we’ll discuss how to fingerpick without hitting the surrounding strings along with some basic tips on how […]
May 20, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
In the following short guide, I’m going to demonstrate the correct fingerpicking hand position, explain why this is so important, and answer some common questions surrounding the position of the picking hand when playing in this style. Below is a quick rundown: Perfect your fingerpicking hand position by giving a “thumbs up” with the picking […]
May 13, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Fingerpicking involves playing a constant alternating 4/4 bass pattern on the lower three strings with the thumb while playing rhythm and syncopated melody on the top three strings using the index, ring, and middle finger. Due to the focus on thumb and finger independence rhythm and melody are played simultaneously giving the impression more than […]
Acoustic Guitar Brands Acoustic Guitar Gear
May 11, 2022 / June 30, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Whether you’re a brand new player looking for your first acoustic guitar, or a seasoned professional. Taking some time to learn a little about the most popular acoustic guitar brands and why they are so notable is a very helpful thing to do. Many of these companies have rich histories, oftentimes playing an important role […]
Buying an Acoustic Guitar Acoustic Guitar Gear
April 26, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
As a beginner faced with the prospect of purchasing a new guitar, there can understandably be some apprehension involved. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, which makes it difficult to feel confident that you’re taking everything into consideration and making the best choice for your needs. The first thing to get out […]
Along with Gibson, Fender is the most well-known and successful guitar manufacturer in the world today. And while much is known and documented about the heritage of Fender’s range of iconic electric guitars, basses, and amplifiers less is known about the history of Fender’s acoustic guitars. In the following article, we’re going to take a […]
April 21, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
Buying your first secondhand acoustic guitar? How do you know you’re not buying a lemon? In the following article, I’m going to break down exactly how to inspect a secondhand acoustic guitar using my ‘tried and true’ checklist I’ve developed over the years buying acoustic guitars. What do you need? Before mobile phones were common, […]
April 19, 2022 / May 28, 2025 by Marty | Leave a Comment
The guitar fretboard is a challenging thing to master, and it’s not just beginners who struggle with it, many who have been playing for years now still don’t fully understand how everything works. “Music is not difficult, it’s just unintuitive” Between the awkward arrangement of notes when compared to a piano, and a few indicators […]
![Open F Tuning [Complete Guide]](https://theacousticguitarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/open-f-tuning-banner-image-300x131.gif "Introductory Guide to Open F Tuning [FACFCF] 12")
